


don't read the last page

by alltears



Series: savior complex [4]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Dragon Age: Inquisition Quest - Here Lies the Abyss, Established Relationship, F/M, Fights, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Interrogation, Mage Hawke (Dragon Age), Marriage, Old Married Couple, Pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Secret Relationship, Suggestive Themes, the inquisitor finds out about varric and hawke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:43:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29574789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltears/pseuds/alltears
Summary: varric and hawke need to talk about who's going to the inquisition.four months later, they're both at skyhold, and it's not the time for talking.
Relationships: Female Hawke & Varric Tethras, Female Hawke/Varric Tethras, Female Inquisitor & Varric Tethras, Hawke/Varric Tethras
Series: savior complex [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030170
Kudos: 10





	don't read the last page

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey! two varric fics in two days? WHAT? anyways here's my varhawke agenda. you don't need to read previous parts in my natasha trevelyan series to understand this one :)
> 
> cw: alcohol consumption
> 
> title from new year's day by taylor swift
> 
> i hope you enjoy!

“What did you tell them?” Hawke asked the second Varric came back to the kitchen in her estate, where she’d been hiding while he was questioned.

“Enough to keep them off our backs,” Varric replied unconvincingly. He was uncomfortable, stressed, and a bit shaken up from having to recall every terrible thing that's happened to them. Hawke read him like one of his own smutty books. She raised a skeptical eyebrow, urging him to continue. “I said I didn’t know where you are.”

“What, they believed you? Do they know who you are?” Hawke snorted, relaxing her shoulders and unclenching her fists. She had clearly spent the past hours cramped and frightened, her tank-top creased at weird angles, and her buns were much looser than they were when she tied them that morning.

“Ha-ha, yes, you’re very witty and charming. It took a lot of convincing on my part - you’re welcome, by the way - but they bought it. Only after I told them everything that happened to you since you left Lothering.”

“Everything?” Hawke bristled. Varric raised his hands in surrender and crossed the kitchen floor to meet her.

“Don’t worry, Chuckles, I gave them the revised tale. I didn’t tell them about us. I know you’re  _ much  _ too ashamed to lay with a  _ dwarf _ -” Now that he was in range, Hawke wasted no time socking him in the shoulder to shut him up. She was the only one that could do it.

“You  _ know _ it’s to protect you.”

“Whatever you say,” Varric faltered. “Hey, why don’t you relax on the couch. I’ll bring us some wine, alright?”

Hawke’s eyes flickered with life. She clutched a hand to her chest dramatically.

“Ser! Why, you’re trying to get me intoxicated! Just so you can have your wicked way with me!” She drawled in a truly heinous Orlesian accent, faux-scandalized. Varric rolled his eyes and lightly pushed Hawke’s hip towards the living room.

“A broad like you must - Nope,” Varric attempted an accent of his own, but it was somehow worse than Hawke’s. “Get outta here, beautiful.” Hawke’s following cackle faded as the door swung behind her, leaving Varric alone. Once she was out of site, Varric let his smile drop. This conversation would be best after she relaxed a little, or else she might snap his neck.

Varric made slow work of picking the wine, choosing the glasses, uncorking carefully, and pouring the perfectly even amount. Anything to delay the inevitable.

“Varric?” Hawke called out from the next room.  _ Shit. Showtime. _

Hawke smiled contentedly when Varric pushed the door open, wine glasses in hand. Maker, she was a sight. While he was panicking in the kitchen, Hawke took it upon herself to light the fireplace and let down her hair. The orange glow of the flames bounced off her smooth, dark skin beautifully.

“I’m thinking Antiva, you know?” When Varric didn’t answer, she continued. “Antivan countryside is supposed to be beautiful, and no one would look for us there. We can’t keep staying here, love.”

That sounded like a dream. As Hawke took her glass, Varric leaned down to kiss her softly, quickly. He sat at the couch perpendicular to hers, so that their knees bumped when either leaned forward.

“Hey. Cheers to avoiding Templars trying to catch me for being a demon-infested apostate,” Varric clinked his cup to hers, and they both took a long drink.

“They weren’t mage hunters, actually,” Varric began.

“No?” Hawke crossed her legs and poked Varric’s shin with her big toe.

“It was Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast and Sister Leliana. The Right and Left Hands of the Divine.”

“Oh,” Hawke frowned. “ _ Oh _ . So, Divine Justinia really did die at the Conclave.”

“Afraid so.”

“Well, shit. I’m sorry,” Neither of them were particularly religious - especially not Hawke - but Varric was technically Andrastian, and they both held some respect for Justinia’s work with the mages. “Wait, what does that have to do with me?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure they thought you did it.”

“What?! Why would I kill the Divine?” Hawke yelped.

“They probably still thought you, uh. Schemed with Anders…” Varric hated saying that name in front of Hawke. She still struggled with the trauma she endured from everything that went down. Hawke’s expression steeled over. Biting her cheek, she put both feet back on the floor and directed her attention downwards.

“I didn’t know he was…”

“I know, beautiful,” Varric put a hand on her knee. “I know.”

Hawke cleared her throat. “So, they thought I destroyed the Conclave.”

“At first,” Varric took another sip. “Then, it seemed more like they wanted to recruit you. For you to lead them. Their… Inquisition,” Varric didn’t want to tell her, but he had to. He wasn’t the man who kept secrets from his woman thinking it was for her own good.

“Do I look like I know what the fuck an Inquisition is?” Varric snorted.

“They wanted someone powerful to help them restore normalcy. Or change it,” Hawke chewed on her bottom lip. Varric knew what she was going to say, and he already hated it.

“Maybe I should do it, then.”

“No.”

“Varric-”

“ _ No. _ ”

“We all have a part in these things, whether we like it or not. I can’t just sit here and  _ ignore _ -”

“ _ You _ can! You already saved the damn world once, you don’t need to do it again!”

“There’s a hole in the sky, Varric! And,” Hawke fell silent, her eyes glassy. “Bethany would’ve wanted me to.”

“Bethany would have wanted you  _ alive _ ,” The tears in Hawke’s eyes built up. She blinked once, twice, and some fell. Embarrassed, she wiped her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“No, you’re right. You are. They’ll find someone else.”

“I think,” Varric swallowed and set his glass upon the end table, so nothing would break or spill if she decided to punch him. “I’m joining them.”

Hawke stared at him for a long minute. She sniffled.

“I’ll come with you.”

“No, Hawke. I’m not letting you get hurt again. These people have done enough to you,” Hawke scoffed.

“So you can demand I stay, but I can’t do the same? We’re a team, Varric. We go together.”

“Please, Hawke. Darling. One of us should go. I’d rather die than let it be you.

“Me too.”

“As a favor to me. Please. Stay here,” Varric felt himself get choked up, too. “ _ Please _ .”

Hawke’s lower lip wobbled until the dam officially broke. In an instant, her whole body shook with sobs as she caved in on herself. Varric was quick to remove the wine from them to prevent a spill, and then he crossed to her couch to sit beside her and embrace her fully. He pulled her into his chest and stroked a hand through her coiled hair, all while trying not to cry, too.

“You’re always the one taking the hit, beautiful. It’s my turn,” Hawke clutched at his shirt like a lifeline and burrowed her face into his neck.

“Don’t die,” she murmured once the sobs subsided. Varric kissed the top of her head.

“I’ll do my very best for you, Hawke.”

“I’ll miss you. Where will you be?”

“Haven.”

“Where the fuck is that?”

“The Frostbacks, I think. Near the Conclave.”

“That’s a long way from Kirkwall.”

“Even farther from Antiva. Just think, you can spend your time house hunting up there.”

“Mmm. You’ll write. Daily.”

“Hourly, if you wanted.”

“If you need me, you’ll tell me. And I’ll be there.”

“Sure, Hawke.”

\---

Trevelyan wasn’t sure who this “secret guest” Varric wanted her to meet was, but she was pretty excited. He made it seem like quite the deal, so she was hoping it was maybe Daisy or Broody from his stories. They seemed like a good crew to play cards with, if Varric was any indicator. What she didn’t expect to see was a 6-foot tall, dark skinned woman sitting on the ledge of the barricades, locking lips with Skyhold’s resident unwelcome tagalong. 

Rather, they were completely snogging, as though the minute they stopped, they’d both spontaneously combust. It was a bit disturbing, really.

After getting over the initial shock, Trevelyan politely cleared her throat. The pair finally broke apart just long enough for the woman to crane her neck over Varric’s shoulder and meet Trevelyan’s eyes.

“Fuck off, please, thank you,” she growled, latching onto Varric’s mouth again.

“Right! Er, sorry!” Trevelyan squeaked out. She supposed she’d just have to come back later, when Varric wasn’t trapped between some gorgeous woman’s gorgeous legs. As she was about to turn away, Varric pulled back.

“Wait. Stop,” he said, seriously. The woman did, completely untangling herself from his hair, his hands, his waist, and scooching back as far as she could without falling to her death.

“You alright?” She asked softly, thought she was still panting a bit. Varric nodded and turned to face Trevelyan at last. His hair, while normally pulled back, was loose and messy around his ears, and Trevelyan simply refused to look any lower than his eyes for fear of what she might see.

“Shit,” Varric breathed. He stepped away from the ledge, and the woman jumped up. “Uh, Inquisitor Trevelyan, meet The Champion of Kirkwall.”

“Fuck,” both women concluded in unison. Hawke laughed, presumably at the absurdity of their situation, and held out a hand. Trevelyan met it diplomatically.

“Pleasure. Um… I didn’t know you two were… Or, that Varric was… Yes.”

“Sorry, Inquisitor, we, uh, haven’t seen each other since the Conclave.”

“We usually keep it pretty hush-hush, ‘cause, well, the smaller the target on my husband’s back, the better.”

“ _ Husband?  _ Varric, I didn’t know someone finally made an honest man out of you! Is a celebration in order?” Trevelyan smirked.

“Oh, great, let’s all pile on the dwarf,”

“If you insist,” Hawke grinned down at him and winked.

“Hey, Rosy?” Varric called, his eyes trained on Hawke.

“Yes, Varric?”

“How ‘bout you just come back tomorrow?”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hehehe hope you enjoyed!! fr, comments really keep me inspired, so drop one of those if you're feeling generous. either way, hope you had a good time reading!
> 
> twitter: trobed_  
> tumblr: alltears


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